


The Thought That Counts

by AU Mer-Maid (neonstardust)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Children, Childhood Friends, Don't Let The Tags Fool You This Is Safe For Work, Kinktober 2019, Shopping, Supportive Parent(s), Toy shopping, Toys, Wholesome Safe For Work Content In My Kinktober? Heck Yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-07 22:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20983391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neonstardust/pseuds/AU%20Mer-Maid
Summary: Turning eight years old is a special once in a life time event, so it requires a special once in a lifetime gift.With the birthday party tomorrow, Yahaba is running out of time to find that gift.





	The Thought That Counts

**Author's Note:**

> Kinktober Day 10 - Prompt: Toys

It must be perfect.

Yahaba walks up and down the aisle, examining Barbie dolls and Gundum figurines. The robot centipede creeps him out. The caterpillar besides it isn’t any more comforting, and he walks quickly to the Pokémon display. Pikachu is a timeless favorite, but Yahaba frowns. If it’s not unique, then it’s not perfect.

A colorful train chugs along a plastic railroad. Yahaba follows it to the board games. The complexity of shogi is sure to impress Shirabu, but Monopoly calls to him, promising hours of fun. And bruises. Carefully, Yahaba returns the game to its shelf.

“Shigeru, have you decided?” his mother asks again.

“Not yet.” They store the plush toys next to the drones, filling Yahaba with all sorts of indecision. No one can resist the smiling, gentle face of the stuffed puppy, but the shiny plane besides it can fly. Who could turn down a flying toy? Not him, that’s for sure.

But…

Yahaba scratches his head. What if someone else got him a flying toy, too?

Taking his mother’s hand, they move on to the next aisle. Rows of bicycles gleam under the bright lights. Basketballs and volleyballs and footballs wait patiently in a ginormous bin. Running ahead, Yahaba climbs onto the mini trampoline and gives it a few investigative bounces.

“Are you ready yet, honey?”

“Nu uh.” He hops off the trampoline. Fun toys surround him, but none of them are fun enough. Shirabu already has a bike and more volleyballs than Yahaba can count. The trampoline is cool, but what if he gets bored with it? Yahaba nudges a tennis racket. These aren’t good enough, not for Shirabu.

“What are you looking for?” she asks, leading him to the next aisle.

Yahaba inspects a tomodachi. Would it be insulting to give Shirabu an artificial friend? Would he remember to feed it? Returning it to its spot, Yahaba slides down to the Lego display. “Somethin’ perfect.” He shakes a Magic 8-Ball. Within its inky depths, the words “try again later” appear. He throws it back on the shelf.

“Perfect, huh?” His mother kneels down to look him in the eye. “Like what?”

Yahaba thinks about it, his nose scrunching. “I dunno. Somethin’ cool.” He shakes a box, listening to the toy inside rattle. Shirabu is his most bestest of best friends. Of course he wants to get him something special. He just doesn’t know what that special thing is yet.

She gestures to the towering shelves around them. “There are a lot of cool things here.”

Scuffing his shoe against the tile, Yahaba nods. The toys _are_ cool. He would kill to take some home for himself, but Shirabu’s not like him. He can be mean, and he teases too much. He fails all of his history tests, but he can build a rocket out of a paper towel tube and construction paper. The puzzle Yahaba got stuck on for two weeks took him only minutes to solve, yet he can sculpt Play-Doh for hours on end, not forming anything but never growing bored either.

He’s too hard to shop for. Yahaba sighs.

A loving hand ruffles his hair. “You know,” his mom whispers, “there’s a trick to shopping for birthday gifts.”

“There is?” Yahaba gasps. His mother gives a knowing smile, and he leans in closer to hear the secret she’s about to share.

“It’s not about what you buy,” she says. “It’s about the person buying it.”

Yahaba tilts his head. “That sounds like something people just say to be nice when they get somethin’ they don’t like.”

She chuckles, a dimple forming on one cheek. “That’s true. But when have you ever given Ken-chan something he didn’t like?”

All the time. Shirabu is hard to impress and easy to annoy. He hates most of Yahaba’s ideas. Without fail, he’s always the first one to point out all of Yahaba’s mistakes, from his drawings to his homework to his Yokai Force pajamas.

“Think hard,” his mom adds.

Think about what? About the short story Yahaba wrote that he filled with corrections in bright red pen? About the friendship bracelet he refused to wear?

The friendship bracelet he wore yesterday…

Yahaba looks down at the matching band on his own wrist. So maybe Shirabu did keep that gift. And maybe he did shove all of Yahaba’s drawings into his favorite folder with the superior hero on the cover once he was finished insulting them. And he still has that good luck charm Yahaba gave him before his first volleyball game two years ago hidden in the bottom of his gym bag, even if he pretends it is just a leftover soy sauce wrapper.

“Oh.”

His mother’s smile grows. “Are you ready now, honey?”

“I got an idea.” Yahaba beams. “It’s gonna be perfect!”

**Author's Note:**

> "Well?" Yahaba squirms in his seat as Shirabu examines his gift. "What'd'ya think?"
> 
> Shirabu shurgs. "It's okay."
> 
> "Oh."
> 
> Shirabu reaches out and grips Yahaba's hand tightly. "Let's go play with it, Shi-chan."
> 
> "Yeah." Yahaba chest tingles with warmth. "Let's go!"


End file.
